


Finding Time to Die

by wabbitseason



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Death, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-01-01
Updated: 2006-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-03 04:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/376957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wabbitseason/pseuds/wabbitseason
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She had always been dying. She was just now getting around to it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Finding Time to Die

Laura Roslin was dying.

She had been dying since before the attacks were launched on their home worlds. She was just finally finding time to die. Slowly the cancer had attacked her body. The aggressive nature of the illness had rendered it inoperable. Her death would be measured in a matter of months, maybe less.

The doctors had given six months. The gods had somehow granted her eight.

She knew she would not live to see the new world she had helped discover. That was her part to play. Someone else would have to step up as president. She wondered who it would be.

She was so tired.

How many sleepless nights had she spent? Early on, the attacks had come non-stop, never allowing them a chance to breathe. She hadn't had time to think about her own pain. She spent hours sorting through the complaints and the requests. Resources had to be managed and portioned, priorities had to be weighed.

How many difficult decisions did the gods hand her? She had lost count. Every decision seemed difficult. She had to weigh everything. She had to live with the consequences.

"You can't do this..."

"You can't just leave us behind."

She closed her eyes. She could still hear those shouts in her head. She could still see that little girl clutching her doll on that ship. Such a sweet looking little girl. She hadn't committed any crime. She just wanted to reunite with her family.

"I did."

Opening her eyes, she saw that same girl sitting in a chair by her bedside. The little girl gave a sad little smile.

"My family was waiting for me just like I said. We're going on a picnic."

"That's nice."

"Did you say something, Madam President?"

Blinking, she saw only her loyal assistant. Billy had been with her since the beginning. It was appropriate he was with the doctors at the end. She overheard her doctor whispering to him.

"Her delirium only seems to have grown worse since we took her off the chamalla. It's only a matter of time now."

That had been a difficult decision, give up the only thing that had held her together for the last precious months. She felt like she was accepting defeat. She thought the time for visions was over. Perhaps she had been taking chamalla for so long that it was part of her. Or maybe the gods were granting her one last vision before...

She knew what they said about her. How she had pursued the stuff of legend on the chance of a miracle. How could they listen to the ravings of a madwoman? Even the most devout members of the council had been unwilling to accept some of her visions. How would they remember her? As a school teacher with delusions of importance or sick woman with a messiah complex or as the leader who held them through difficult times? She hoped the final one, but she suspected it'd be more of a combination of the three.

Maybe they were right after all. She really was crazy.

But at least she could finally die now, closing her eyes for the final time. She had done what she could, taken them as far as she'd been allowed, done what the gods asked of her. For all she knew, her death was part of the grander plan too.

So say we all.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this to make my writing goals one week, based on the first BSG mini-series and early first season.


End file.
